Accessibility is fundamentally about ensuring that all people, regardless of their physical abilities, can participate in society, as well as access products and services. This is no different when evaluating the payments landscape.
Everyone ought to have access to financial services and the ability to make transactions with ease. The payments industry has shifted in recent years, prioritising comfort and simplicity for customers – for example, through the rise in mobile wallets, which means that customers don’t need a physical card or wallet to make payments, but can do so on a familiar device that they are highly likely to be carrying.
Everyone should be able to enjoy this growing theme of comfort, and individuals with disabilities are no exception. Payments providers should look to create an inclusive payment experience for all users, ensuring that everyone, regardless of physical ability, can easily and securely manage their transactions.
The importance of accessibility in the payments industry
Through incorporating accessibility features into their services and solutions, businesses can ensure customers with disabilities gain significantly more financial independence, and no longer have to rely on others to manage their finances. Financial independence is essential, and prioritising accessibility in the payments industry enables people with disabilities to have autonomy over their purchases and finances, and have more agency in their lives overall.
This is especially pertinent at the moment, given the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is to become law later this year. The legislation is designed to improve the accessibility of products and services across the European Union (EU), ensuring that individuals with disabilities are afforded the same level of access. From a UK perspective, businesses that sell to the EU will need to comply with the EAA. In terms of payments, the regulation mandates that payment systems, including payment terminals and online banking platforms, are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Ignoring the importance of accessibility when it comes to payments means excluding more than one billion individuals globally, more than 15 percent of the world’s population. Not only does this have detrimental effects for customers with disabilities, but it’s also a missed opportunity for merchants. By neglecting such a large group, businesses miss out on a huge pool of customers. This not only affects revenue, but also the chance to build meaningful relationships between merchant and customer.
Key payment features aiding customers who are blind or visually impaired
Point-of-sale (POS) hardware is evolving to offer a more inclusive transaction experience for customers making payments in person. A number of features are enabling more seamless and comfortable transactions for blind or visually impaired customers, including tactile PIN pad overlays, speech prompts, and practice modes.
Tactile PIN pad overlays assist customers with PIN entry, making it easy for them to clearly identify the numbers and feel confident about what they’re pressing. Without one, they may struggle to discern the numbers from each other, and could struggle with entering their PIN. Incorrectly entering their PIN too many times may even block the transaction altogether.
Speech prompts are an audio feature which can be activated upon the customer’s request. This announces the payment options to the customer at each step of the process. For example, with chip and pin, four accessibility options are displayed on the device’s screen and the instructions are announced once the customer inserts their card. The customer can then move their finger from the top to the bottom of the screen to hear the options again, and can double-tap anywhere on the screen to select the option that was last announced. Audio features like this are indispensable for the blind and visually impaired community, as they ensure individuals have full confidence and certainty of the payment process. As making transactions often involves the transfer of confidential data and information, everyone should be fully informed when carrying out a transaction.
These added accessibility features also mean that customers who are blind or visually impaired can benefit from the same security measures as all other customers. For example, some standard security measures, such as PIN entry or traditional card readers, are difficult to use for someone who is visually impaired, which is where the tactile PIN pad overlay comes into play. Additionally, the speech prompts provide a more accessible way for customers to ensure they’re paying in a safe and secure way. With features like these, visually impaired customers can rest assured that their payment details are secure and not at risk.
How the payment industry can prioritise digital inclusion
Digital inclusion is crucial in today’s world, and the payments industry is no exception. Financial institutions and payments providers ought to focus on enhancing the experience of vulnerable customers, understanding and supporting their specific needs. To do this, all employees must regularly participate in vulnerable customer training to enhance their skills and knowledge. For instance, firms may consider establishing specific quality assurance guidelines to ensure calls are handled appropriately and that customers receive adequate support. Additionally, businesses should consider utilising a reporting mechanism to track vulnerabilities, with regular reviews so as to continuously improve their services.
To offer personalised solutions based on individual requirements, payments firms can adopt a flexible and tailored approach when supporting customers with disabilities. For instance, for those users with visual impairments, companies ought to incorporate a range of accessible solutions into their devices, including correspondence in Braille, large print materials, and speech technology. This will ensure visually impaired customers have access to the payments services they need.
In order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with a range of diverse abilities, payment organisations must work with the communities themselves. The communities set to benefit from accessibility features should be consulted at every level, including design proposals, developing and refining the solution, expert assessment and usability testing. Doing so, and by receiving continuous feedback from the communities, ensures that payment products actually fulfil what they set out to do, and make transactions more accessible and easy for all customers.
While receiving feedback from the relevant communities during the design and development process is essential, it is equally important to continue to obtain their insights after the initial process as well. This is necessary to keep accessibility features regularly updated and refined based on user feedback and technological advancements, ensuring that communities, such as the blind and visually impaired, are receiving the latest technological benefits. As technology rapidly evolves, making life easier for able-bodied people, we must ensure that disabled communities receive enhanced convenience in the same way.
Providing flexibility and choice is also a huge aspect to consider when adapting payment devices to boost inclusivity and accessibility. Multi-sensory solutions play a role in this, as every individual has different needs. Some users may respond better to tactile solutions such as the PIN pad overlay, whereas others may prefer audio aids to assist them with their transaction. Payment organisations must consider all the different kinds of solutions that provide enhanced accessibility.
Comprehensive education and training for consumers on how to use touch screen payment devices and navigate the accessibility features should also be offered. Features that offer personalised support go hand in hand with this. For example, the practice mode feature for blind or visually impaired customers, which allows customers to become familiar with the technology, gives users the ability to choose between different options once they know how to use it efficiently. Accessibility features are only useful if customers are aware of them and of how to use them. Support and training is crucial to making the experience seamless for both merchant and customer.
As accessibility and digital inclusion become a growing priority in the payments industry, organisations must understand the important considerations they need to take into account when incorporating accessibility features into existing payment systems. Whilst it is important to consult communities of differing abilities while developing more inclusive payment features, their feedback is also crucial when the features are actively being used by customers, to ensure optimal benefits and continuous improvement for the disabled community.
Jon Boland
Jon Boland is General Manager at Clover UK which was recently acquired by Fiserv.
